Undergrad Thermo Hydrodynamic Effect

  • Thread starter Thread starter dom_quixote
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary
The video demonstrates a real-time experiment involving a rotor that utilizes thermal agitation in water. When aluminum cylinders with frozen water are submerged, only 30% of their surface contacts the water, creating an imbalance that causes movement toward the colder side. This subtle and jerky motion is speculated to be influenced by the Carnot Cycle, though it occurs in an open environment rather than a confined system. Challenges faced during the experiment included the buildup of triboelectric charges in the Styrofoam, necessitating adjustments to keep the rotor centered. Using cork plates instead of Styrofoam may reduce electrical charge accumulation and improve the experiment's execution.
dom_quixote
Messages
52
Reaction score
9
Vídeo:



heatcell.webp


The footage was filmed in real time. The rotor takes advantage of the thermal agitation of the water. The agitation is uniform, so the resultant is zero. When the aluminum cylinders containing frozen water are immersed in the water, about 30% of their surface is in contact with the water, and the rest is thermally insulated by styrofoam. This creates an imbalance in the agitation: the cold side of the water "shrinks," so that the hot side pushes the cylinders toward the cold side. Note that the movement is subtle and "jerky." I suspect this is due to the Carnot Cycle, but I'm intrigued by the fact that the phenomenon occurs in an open environment, unlike the confined pistons of the Carnot Engine.
 
Science news on Phys.org
One of the problems I encountered while implementing this experiment was the inevitable accumulation of triboelectric charges in the expanded Styrofoam. Simply adding a little salinity to the fresh water wasn't enough; interventions were necessary during the experiment to reposition the wheel in the center of the bucket. If the experiment were repeated with cork plates, they would likely generate less electrical charges and be easier to sculpt.
 
Thread 'Can somebody explain this: Planck's Law in action'

Thread 'Can somebody explain this: Planck's Law in action'

Plotted is the Irradiance over Wavelength. Please check for logarithmic scaling. As you can see, there are 4 curves. Blue AM 0 as measured yellow Planck for 5777 K green Planck for, 5777 K after free space expansion red Planck for 1.000.000 K To me the idea of a gamma-Ray-source on earth, below the magnetic field, which protects life on earth from solar radiation, in an intensity, which is way way way outer hand, makes no sense to me. If they really get these high temperatures realized in...
View full post »

Similar threads

Thermal effects in aircraft engines - sudden/rapid cooling
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K